Electric connection for distributing telephone-lines



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

W. M. GOODRIDGE. ELECTRIC CONNECTION FOR DISTRIBUTING TELEPHONE LINES.

No. 453,000. Patented May 26,1891.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

W. M.GO0DRIDGE. ELECTRIC CONNECTION FOR DISTRIBUTING TELEPHONE LINES.

No. 453,000. Patented May 26', 1891.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VILLIAM M. GOODRIDGE, OF HIGHLAND PARK, ASSIGN OR TO THE IVESTERNELECTRIC OOIIIPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ELECTRIC CONNECTION FOR DISTRIBUTING TELEPHONE-LINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 453,000, dated May 26,1891.

Application filed February 7,1889. Serial No. 298,966. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM M. GOODRIDGE, a cltizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Highland Park, in the county of Lake and State ofIllinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in ElectricConnections for Distributing Telephone-Lines, (Case 1 3,) of which thefollowing is a full, clear, conelse, and exact description, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of'thisspecification.

My invention relates more especially to multiple switch-board apparatus.As is well known,th.e lines are connected each with a different switchon each of the boards, and from the switch on the last board through thekey-board apparatus to ground. By keyboard apparatus I mean theanswering spri n gack switch, the individual annunciator, the cord,connecting-plug, and grounding-jack, or whatever apparatus may beincluded in the line at the board where the callsof the particular lineare received. In multiple systerns, as is well known, the individualannunciators are grouped upon the different switchboards, so that eachoperator will have to answer the calls of a particular group of lines.I-Ieretofore the cables have been run at the rear from board to board,and from the last board returned to make connection with the key-boardapparatus; and it has been necessary to make the connections between thereturn portions of the cables and the keyboard apparatus after theboards were in place, wires being soldered to the proper connections ofthe answering-jacks. This has been found very difficult, and the workhas proven quite unsatisfactory on account of the want of room to do thework.

The object of my invention is to provide at the rear of eachswitch-board means whereby the connections with the answering jacks maybe made in the shop, and for this purpose I provide at the rear of eachswitch-board a strip containing springconnectors for the different wiresof the cable.

My invention will be readily understood by reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the rear of amultiple switch-board provided with my spring-connecting devices fordistributing the return-wires. Fig. 2 is an enlarged View showing aportion of the bar or strip and the manner of securing the springconnections thereon. Fig. 3 is a plan of a portion thereof. Fig. 4 is aperspective view of one of the spring-eonnectors detached. Fig. 5 is adiagram illustrative of the circuit of a telephoneline and its test-wireconnected with a switch on each of three multiple switch-boards andextending from the switch on the last board to the rearof a pair of myconnecting devices, said connecting devices on the other side beingconnected with the key-board apparatus.

Like parts are indicated by similar letters of reference throughout thedifferent figures.

Referring to Figs. 2, 3, and I, it will be seen that myspring-connectors a Z) are arranged in pairs near the different edges ofthe strip 0, each board being provided with one such strip 0, placed atthe rear thereof, preferably as shown in Fig. 1. There should be as manypairs of spring-connectors as there are ann unciators upon theswitch-board.

As shown in Fig. 4, the spring-connector a is adapted to be secured by ascrew upon the strips 0, one of the springs being longer than the other,as shown, so as to extend through a hole provided therefor in the strip.In this manner a suitable .means of attachment for the wires is providedon each side of the strip for each spring-connector. The circuit cZ(shown in Fig. 5) extends through switches e f g, one on each of themultiple boards, and from the switch g on the last board to the rearportion of a spring-connector a, to which the wire is preferablysoldered. From the front of spring-connector a a wire it extends throughthe answering spring-jack l and the individual annunciator through astrand of a flexible cord to the terminal plug Z. The heel of this plugZ, resting in a metallic socket, completes the circuit to ground. Thetest-wire m is connected in the usual manner with switches c f g of lineat and extends from switch 9 to the rear of spring-connector I). Fromthe front of spring-connector b the test-circuit is continued by wire itto the frame or test piece of answering spring-jack Z and thence to thecontact 0 of the grounding-jack.

The circuit of the single line (I, as illustrated in Fig. 5, is theprecise arrangement now in use at the Chicago Telephone Exchange.

Fig. 1, it will be understood, is a rear view of one of the severalmultiple switch-boards, or, as it is now more frequently termed, of oneof the duplicate sections of a multiple switchboard. The key-boardapparatus is placed in front of the board and is not illustrated inFig. 1. This figure is designed simply to represent in a general way themost convenient position for locating the strip 0, in which are placedthe spring-connecting devices for distributing the return-wires.

Referring now to Fig. 5, it will be understood that the spring-jackswitches e f g belong to the same line and are distributed in the usualmanner upon different boards or different duplicate sections of themultiple switch-board.

By the use of my springeonnectors a. b,the connections with thekey-board apparatus by wires a h may be completed in the office beforethe board is sent out.

The portion of the cable containing the wires between the switch on thelast board, as switch g and the spring-connectors a b, has sometimesbeen termed the return-cable, it being understood that eachreturn-cable; will contain a given number of wires, preferably forty,when the spring-jack switches are built up in strips of twenty each, sothat each cable may contain the telephone-lines and test-circuits of asingle strip. These cables are brought from the last board to the rearof the boards, respectively, upon which their annunciators are placed.The different wires are connected with the rear of their particularterminals, space being preferably left between the rows of terminalsupon each strip 0, so that the cables maybe carried along the centerbetween the rows of terminals.

Having thus described my invention,I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Pat ent 1. The combination, with a switch-board, of a stripplaced at the rear thereof and provided with spring-terminals, saidspring-terminals being connected at the rear with the wires of thereturn portion of the cable, the front ends of said spring-connectorsbeing connected with the key-board apparatus, substantially as and forthe purpose specified.

2. A strip 0, provided with spring-connectors arranged in rows near theedges thereof, said connectors each being provided with a projection onopposite sides of the strip, sub- "stantially as and for the purposespecified.

In witness whereof I hereunto subscribe my name this 17th day ofJanuary, A. T). 1889.

VILLIAM M. GOODRIDGE.

W ituesses:

ELLA EDLER, GEORGE P. BARTON.

